h3. In this issue:
* 3rd Voice Studio News
* Reflecting on the 2007 Summer Vocal Program
* SLS IMT Wendy Parr visits Toronto Sept 22-24
* SLS News
* Student News
* Other Stuff
h3. 3rd Voice Studio News
If you haven’t already noticed by now, 3rd Voice finally unveiled it’s new look! You can check it out at www.3rdvoice.com. The new site features online payment options, a soon to be functional client login feature, student news, and a cleaner, more sophisticated design. Thanks to Lisa McMillan for the fab work! If you have any ideas about how the site can be improved, your suggestions would be warmly welcomed!
*Quick Note:* During the sites construction, you may have experienced any of a number of hiccups. The most recent of which were emails being bounced back due to a server change for the site. Please accept my apologies for these brief inconveniences and rest assured that the work is nearly complete.
h3. SLS News
Perhaps the most important thingamajig unveiled at this years summer program was the new networking site for singers, songwriters and industry professionals fittingly titled: mySLSworld. The site is a useful resource for international news of the industry with an expanding array of profiles from musicians and business people worldwide. You can also check out videos of some of the performances from this year’s open mic. myslsworld also has a free 90 free trial; it’s your chance to register and get yourself hooked up and involved. It’s an important addition to the SLS family, and will surely be the vessel for everything to come in our community.
A visiting lecturer from the legendary and prestigious Berkeley University of California, David Kusek, delivered a fascinating talk on the future of the music industry saying: “When the record industry refused to adapt to the mp3 format, they lost billions of dollars in revenue, and practically finished themselves. The music business however, is stronger than ever. The contemporary musician must learn to market himself in this new age of music.”
As if the 2007 summer camp wasn’t exciting enough with all that was offered, SLS teachers at camp were also seasoned with a lecture from an ENT in California who specializes in vocal rehabilitation to the stars. More importantly, however, 3 visiting ENT lecturers from Austria and Brazil delivered 4 days of mind blowing lectures on the acoustical properties of vocal production and it’s relationship in principle to the SLS technique! This was an vitally important first step in the development of a scientific explanation of why the technique is so remarkably successful. SLS is grateful to the contribution that Dr. Herbert Noe, Dr. Donald Miller, and Dr. Daniela Tostes have so far made to the understanding of SLS, purely inspired out of their own passion for singing.
I had many opportunities to talk with Dr. Daniela Tostes, an ENT from Brazil. In one discussion, she said: “The truth (about singing) is really what Seth says. The adjustment of formants (resulting from vowel modification and stabilizing the larynx) really does offer the greatest outcome for the least effort… ”
h3. 3rd Voice Student Updates
Good luck to Tristan Greene who goes into the studio to lay down his vocals for his band, which will officially complete their new album. Well done Tristan – you sound amazing!!!
Farewell to Chris & Lauren who who are off again to the pacific and the Caribbean respectively to start new performing contracts on cruise ships. Break a leg guys – and show them what singing is REALLY all about. Good luck!!!
h3. Seth Riggs Summer Vocal Camp 2007 Review
The SLS camp in Los Angeles was an overwhelming success again this year. The nightly open mic performances by the attending students were an inspiring example of the possibilities available to students of the SLS program.
Although the annual Seth Riggs camp has been going for nearly a decade, this year was shamefully the first that I attended myself. And what an exhilarating experience it was! The camp had any of a number of routes available, depending on your interest, whether it be song writing, dance or musical theatre. Everyday was packed from early morning till night with classes, independent study, private tutoring, industry networking and performance opportunities. Various mid to high profile industry professionals including talent agents, signed artists, producers, Lawyers and innovative industry visionaries, all provided accelerated tips for survival and success in the industry.
For the brave, every morning at 7 AM began a specially designed yoga class for singers!!! Let’s just say, I heard good things about it (I did my best – I managed to attend 1 class). However, the most profound learning for me happened in the song writing class of Rob Seals, entitled Hitmakers and Heartbreakers. Cheesy title, sure, but every class left practically every student feeling uplifted, inspired, connected, equipped, and full of creative possibility. The musical Theatre track was led by industry professionals and was packed with performance opportunities, feedback, repertoire review, and even a lecture given by the canadian born musical director for the Broadway hit “Wicked”, Boko Suzuki. All musical theatre classes were curated by Master SLS IMT instructor Jefferey Skousen (after chatting with him, he is interested in visiting Toronto, so hopefully, we can get him up soon). The daily SLS Application class led by SLS IMT instructor Dean Kaelin was enormously insightful given Dean’s invaluable knack for turning SLS concepts into digestible analogies for the beginning and intermediate student. Each day, different students were featured center stage as Dean gave personal attention applying the technique to individual voices.
The Greenroom hosted casual question and answer sessions taking the spotlight everyday with a rotating array of industry professionals including talent agents, signed artists, and producers. It was every students golden opportunity to gain valuable insight into a complex industry.
It was also wonderful to have all of the finest SLS Instructors together under one roof at once teaching “in the trenches”, as Level 5 SLS Instructor Lorna Emata Goodwin so aptly described it. My every other day lesson with John Henny was thrilling, but nothing compared to my lesson with the man himself, Seth Riggs, at his home in Bel Air. Though I’ve had many lessons with Seth, this was the first time I could be live in his studio. What an experience! If being in his stunning studio amidst the energy, photos, and thank you’s from the most talented and respected singers in the world didn’t leave me breathless enough, the lesson itself surely did! Never have I sung so easily and brilliantly in all my life!!! He even hung around after the lesson playing me recordings of Michael Bolton’s shockingly successful attempt at classical music. Hearing Bolton deliver a near perfect mix on a high Bb was evidence enough that Seth knows no boundaries for the training of singers in any style!
The daily open mic performances were stunning and gave every student the opportunity to sing live any song of their choice. Every student was backed by a stunning and talented live band, recieved personal wardrobe attention, and critical feedback at the end of the performances by the IMT’s themselves, and various industry professionals. And of course, the whole thing was recorded and edited for video to the highest professional standards for the students to take home and remember for years to come.
h3. Other Stuff
* Check out Amy Winehouse’s new album “Back to Black”.
* For great local musicians resources check out: Craigslist, and Today’s Toronto.
* Three simple ways to stimulate your creative inspiration
“You can’t really talk about music. You can kind of skirt around it and hope that the language kind of lands close to what you mean, but it’s an abstract art form. It’s a way of conveying emotion directly, and to talk about it, to pull it through the intellectual process kind of does it a disservice, like translating from any language into another language, you lose something in the translation.” ~Joni Mitchell
h3. SLS IMT Wendy Parr Visits Toronto Sept 22-24
New York’s most highly acclaimed SLS master Instructor Wendy Parr will be conducting private lessons and an introduction to Speech Level Singing workshop in Toronto Sept 22-24.
Advanced booking is required as space and availability is very limited.
If you would like to book, please contact the studio asap.
